Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Chefs, Foodies, Nutrition Experts, Farmers and Growers—come one, come all!Be a part of the Coolest Field Trip of All!It’s Days of Taste Time Again!

Join us as we explore the ABC’s of Taste & Health through the American Institute of Wine and Food Days of Taste Program. Held at the Dallas Farmer’s Market, Days of Taste provides a unique field trip experience for 4th and 5th grade elementary students in Dallas public schools. Through the program, students have the opportunity to explore the nuances of taste through the five senses with a tasting component guided by a chef, a visit with a local farmer to discover the wealth and variety of products grown and that are available locally, and prepare a Harvest salad using fresh produce that the they have purchased themselves at the Dallas Farmer’s Market. Volunteer culinarians and nutritionists share their enthusiasm for fresh ingredients, cooking, and love of food. The program teaches kids the concept of “from farm to table”-one that is difficult for kids to grasp these days.

* Greeting the students and teachers as they arrive at the market * Overseeing hand washing * Assisting chefs and growers as needed * Assisting students with tasting component * Assisting in the shopping and preparation of the Harvest salad * Clean up and other duties as assigned

For more information and to sign up, please contact Robin Plotkin at robin@robinplotkin.com or 214-725-3947. To learn more about AIWF and the Days of Taste Program, please see the Days of Taste link under Programs. Www.aiwf.org/dallasftworth

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

We have organized an eclectic tour of six residential chicken coops in the Dallas area on Saturday, May 1st. The tour will begin in a central parking location(If you are going on the Tour, plan to meet at the Dart parking lot at Mockingbird Station at 9 am. We will gather in the northeast corner of the parking lot. If you have any problems locating the group contact Jim Shade on his mobile phone, 214-893-8983.) so we can car pool to the coops. We'll be all over town before the day is over... Oak Cliff, Preston Hollow, Lakewood, Henderson and Richardson. Click here to see the coop map. We'll break up the day with lunch (included)at Smoke at the Belmont Hotel in Oak Cliff.

Forget your preconceived notions about to who raises chickens in Dallas... we'll be visiting coops by a prominent modernist architect, an acclaimed local photographer, a community activist, 2 of Dallas' favorite landscape designers, and an urban mom who sells eggs. Each coop is uniquely conceived. Their owners will join us to discuss each one and answer all your chicken-and-egg questions. It will be a great tour.

This tour is limited to the first 6 dozen participants (that's egg math for 72) who sign up.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

What do you know about the cattle that your burger came from? Is that salmon fillet from a wild-caught fish or farm-raised — and what does that mean for the planet? Can you identify all of the ingredients in your favorite cupcake? What does it mean for a tomato to be labeled organic, conventional or local?

All of the questions and messages about food and where it comes from can be daunting, especially when you just want to get dinner on the table in a hurry. But your conscience tugs at you, saying: "What I eat matters. Not only for my health but for that of other people and the planet."

You're not alone. A lot of us feel this way. And you're right: food choices do matter. What we put on our plates affects the world and its people every day. We cast a ballot with every bite. We vote with our food dollars for organic, for ethical trade, for planet-friendly, for whatever is important to us. The more we vote for better choices, the more positive change happens in the food industry and in the world.

Bottom line: what we eat matters. Yes, the small food choices we make every day can add up to big change. Yes, it requires more than swallowing thoughtless food conventions. Yes, it makes a difference.

Let’s Retake Our Plates.

It all starts with learning where your food comes from and we’re doing our part with a film series about our food supply and the visionary people who are making it better, one bite at a time. Tickets are $7 at the door, first come, first served and 100% of the proceeds will benefit Slow Food Dallas. For more information contact Carla Chavez at carla.chavez@wholefoods.com or 972-757-4963.

The Future of Food, a groundbreaking documentary released in 2004, distills the complex technology and key regulatory, legal, ethical, environmental and consumer issues surrounding the troubling changes happening in the food system today-genetically engineered foods, patenting, and the corporatization of food-into terms the average person can easily understand. It empowers consumers to understand the consequences of their food choices on our future. (2004)

The 14 acre community garden in South Central Los Angeles was the largest of it's kind in the United States. It was started as a form of healing after the devastating L.A. riots in 1992. Since that time, the South Central Farmers have created a miracle in one of the country's most blighted neighborhoods. Growing their own food. Feeding their families. Creating a community. But now bulldozers threaten their oasis. The Garden is an unflinching look at the struggle between these urban farmers and the City of Los Angeles and a powerful developer who want to evict them and build warehouses. (2008)

What's on your plate? is a witty and provocative documentary produced and directed by award-winning Catherine Gund about kids and food politics. Filmed over the course of one year, the film follows two eleven-year-old multi-racial city kids as they explore their place in the food chain. Sadie and Safiyah take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. With the camera as their companion, the girl guides talk to each other, food activists, farmers, new friends, storekeepers, their families, and the viewer, in their quest to understand what's on all of our plates. They visit the usual supermarkets, fast food chains, and school lunchrooms. But they also check into innovative sustainable food system practices by going to farms, greenmarkets, and community supported agriculture programs. They discover that these programs both help struggling farmers to survive on the one hand and provide affordable, locally-grown food to communities on the consumer end, especially to lower-income urban families. (2009)